Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-12-31

W. NV J." "N' AiiC OdO lSW lCGl
ahead of us.
so, she's beautyw he reclaimed,
rapturously.
"How do you know?" | asked.
"Do shapeIv shoulders and head
full of FURNISHED gold hair constitute
beauty?"
Just then she turned her head to
look out through the window oppo-
site, and we caught glimpse of rosy
cheeks and IA corral-red mouth.
"There! How does that suit YOUR
Highness?" he retorted, triumphant
ly.
"She is very lovely woman, I'M
doubleday" l said.
"By Jove! Hylton; how would
you like to kiss that mouth, ell ?"
asked Weldon.
GLOW do you know but | may
yct, L ullSWeTeu.
"When? Where? l dare you to
tryW rejoined Weldon in a breath.
Yates, who was an exceeding hand
some fellow in his saturnine way,
looked at me with self-complacent
smirk that irritated me, as if to i'm
ply that l only needed his beauty to
succeed.
"Here! Noww l answered prompt
ly, emboldened by Weldon's banter
and Yates sneers.
"Pll bet you ten dollars you dare
not try" said Weldon. "And I'll
double the wager, if he likes" added
Yates.
"Donew | answered. "Both wa
gers are accepted"
Both men looked at me in astonish-
ment.
Without another word l advanced
to the seat occupied by the beauty
and bending down muttered close to
her ear "Cous-"
AS she turned to see who was bend
ing over her, l kissed her fairly on
the rosebud mouth. Then, stepping
back quickly, took off my hat, and
begged "a thousand pardons," add
ing that she looked so very much like
my cousin-whom she really did
reSemble-that | had greet
ed her perhaps too hastily. Coming
closer-there was no one very near.
the whole car-full seemed to
stare at us-I suggested in an under
tone that, if she could only forgive
my hasty error, and allow me to sit
beside her for moment, it would di-
vert attention, and no one need know
that there had been blunder.
With flushed face and half-angry
and half-mischievous look in her
really brilliant eyes, she nodded as
sent, and l sat down.
AT this unexpected elimination of
my impertinent venture, Weldon
thumped Yates in the stomach with
a heavy hand-satchel, and doubled
him up like a patent ruler. And a
drummer in front kicked
his companion so violently that he
dropped a bottle of whisky, and
smashed it into fragments. After
that they both looked at me reproach-
fully.
Despite her apparent confusion, this
by-play was not lost upon her acute
faculties, as l subsequently learned.
AT first she was silent, and eyed me
quite sharply, but, after apparently
satisfying herself that l was neither
a pirate nor politician, she gradually,
under my careful and unvarying civ
llity, became more sociable.
In form and feature she was love.
ly creature, with a voice like melody,
and her sayings all were bright.
Before we reached our common des-
tination--for she told me that she was
going to the city in which l lived-I
was 80 thoroughly bewitched by her
beauty that from a very poor begin
ming was making the most ardent
love to her. And, to my ineffable
delight, she, in a half-shy way was
As softly responsive as could expect
under the circumstances. After a
searching scrutiny of my features had
satisfied her, that if not as beautiful
as she, was at, least as we'll born,
and not untrustworthy, she finally,
with dash of desperation that l had
before observed in her manner, con-
'ented that we should be married as
soon as we reached our destination,
On condition that / should not offer
any more carresses until after the
What wouldn't | have
promised her?